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Friday, December 21, 2012

Yer looking a little long in the pants....

So let's just start this out by saying that I am not short. I am 5'7" which is a very respectable height. Why is it then that I regularly can only find pants that look like this?!

What do short people do?!

Maybe you haven't heard, but I'm a little stingy with the ole wallet and I'm not about to shell out even more money on some pants that already cost more than I think they should, to have them tailored to fit the way they should've straight from the store!

So...I take matters into my own hands.

How to Hem Your Pants while Keeping the Original Seam

First, you'll need to determine how much you're going to need to shorten them. While wearing the pants, fold the bottom hem up until the pants are the desired length (See my right leg in the above pic, I had already folded it, but then realized that I should take a picture of the original length and while I was messing around with the camera, the fold fell). Take them off carefully so you don't disturb the fold (you could even get help here and have someone pin them in a few spots while you are wearing them), and measure the distance from the bottom to the original hem. (Mine was 3 inches)

Now pin the jeans 1/2 of that distance (I pinned mine a to 1 1/4 because the original seam on these pants is pretty wide, but for all of the other pants I've done, I've measured and pinned at 1/2 the original distance).

Using a thread that matches the original hem thread on the pants, sew just to the right of the original hem, all the way around the pant leg. I am not sewing on the thread line, but instead just to the right of where the light and dark fabric meet.

Fold the unused flap of fabric down to the original hem and pin in a few places.

With the outside of the pants face up, sew as close to, or on top of, the original hem as possible and sew all the way around each pant leg. This step isn't mandatory, but it helps to keep the hem from curling during washing, which would then require ironing after each wash...and I don't iron. haha

Here is what my seam over/next to the original looks like.

You can then trim off the excess fabric from your "fold", or in my case it wasn't peaking out the bottom of the pants, so I just left it intact. This way I wouldn't have to worry about pulling off fraying bits of jeans for a few washes.

There ya go! They are now just perfect with my flats or my kitten heels (cause we all know how often I wear heels...hahahahaha).

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About Me

Most of all I enjoy spending time with my beautiful family! I have been truly blessed to find my Wolverine. He is the most incredible man I have ever met, my best friend and my partner in crime! We have the 2 most amazing kids - Ze-Ra and Te-Man and they are quite the adventure! I LOVE doing anything outside - gardening, hiking, walking, camping, biking, mowing the grass, I even enjoy weeding the garden (a little). I have an addiction to my kitchen - I cook, I can, I bake, and I EAT! I also have a love affair with my sewing machine. That love affair has led me to open my own diaper shop at http://hyenacart.com/stores/honeybeebottoms/ :)